Notwithstanding the widespread use of non-metallic cable (i.e., optical fiber) in various telecommunications applications, copper wire is still the media of choice for connecting customer premises to a local termination point, either a local telephone central office, or a subscriber loop carrier terminal. A connection between a two-pair copper wire from the customer premises and the local terminal point is invariably accomplished by a terminal block carried by a mounting board. Each terminal block is generally configured of an insulative body having an open end for overlying a pair of contacts extending out from the mounting block. The terminal block body also has a pair of openings (e.g., windows) spaced from the open end to allow a pair of wires, originating from the customer premise, to enter the body for connection to a separate one of the mounting block contacts when the terminal block is secured to the mounting board.
As described in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/102,178, for "Method for Curing Polymers", filed on Aug. 4, 1993 (herein incorporated by reference), an advantage is obtained by filling the terminal block body with a silicone resin gel. The silicone resin gel serves to encapsulate the mounting block contacts while advantageously permitting a separate one of the pair of wires to be connected to each contact. In this way, the contacts are isolated from external elements such as moisture and environmental erosion.
Presently, manufacture of the above-described terminal block is carried out by first temporarily sealing each of the windows in the terminal block body by way of a rubber seal held in place by a spring-biased clamp. With the windows in the terminal block body temporarily sealed, the body of the terminal block is then filled with gel through its open end. Thereafter, the gel is cured by heating the terminal block in an oven. After the gel is cured and the rubber seals are removed, the terminal block is mounted to the mounting block by inverting the terminal block body so that its open end overlies the mounting block contacts.
The above-described process for filling and curing the terminal block is subject to several difficulties. First, the spring fixture for holding the rubber seals against the windows in the terminal block body is awkward to operate. Moreover, the gel often adheres to the rubber seals sealing the windows in the terminal block body. As a result, the rubber seals become damaged, necessitating their replacement on a frequent basis. The need to frequently replace the rubber seals drives up the cost of terminal block manufacture.
Thus there is a need for an improved method of fixturing and simultaneously sealing such terminal blocks.